Next in our overview of the model railway scene we have created for the Ohio Creek Extension (OCE) of C&S Railway, we stop off in Kebler Pass to take a closer look at one of the railway’s hubs of operation. Similar to some of the other portions of the OCE, Kebler Pass was once known for its mining community, and we wanted to accurately depict the buildings and terrain of this small mountain town. In this video, we introduce some of the essential features of Kebler Pass and the model railway that runs through it. Come along, won’t you?

Making Kebler Pass: Mining Hub of the C&S Model Railway

When first arriving in Kebler Pass by means of model railway, visitors will notice the era-appropriate figures and landmarks that bring this little mining town to life. In order to make the model railway community as realistic as possible, we made sure to include the buildings that actually stood here back in the 1940s.

As an example, Kebler Pass was once home to one of Colorado Fuel and Iron (CFI)’s largest mining shafts, Marion Mine #7. To completely scratch build this model railway structure, which we affixed to the mountainside, we used recycled materials and corrugated metal for the rooftop and weathered the exterior with chalk powders.

Travelling farther down the model railway and into town, you’ll discover a number of era-appropriate buildings and figures as we imagined they would look based on historical research. Structures such as Kebler Pass Mercantile, a Miner’s Union Hall and a C&S Freight Station stand near the railway in all their scratch-built, inch-high glory, as well as historically accurate coke ovens that look just like the ones that once stood in Webster, CO. With touches like these and others, the model railway that runs through Kebler Pass is something to behold!

Some of our favorite model railroad layouts are set in decades past, as far back as the 1940s, when the rail industry was first booming in the west and evidence of World War I still lingered. This era is so fascinating to us that we decided to try our hand at recreating model train scenery

When building a new model railroad scene, you may encounter a situation where your track must travel outside the backdrop. This might be because you want to create the illusion of a tunnel or you need to change levels for some reason. No matter why you want to put in the hole in your railroad

When it comes to painting clouds and other aspects of weather backdrops for your model railroad scenes, there are a few different ways to achieve the mood you want. Using just a couple basic colors and reusable cloud templates that are available at any craft store, you can add impressive depth to your backdrops and

If you’re building a long backdrop for your model railroad layout, you’re going to have to connect the boards together using nails or staples, which means you’ll end up with a fairly visible seam. Expert modelers generally have a couple options during the process of model railroad backdrop construction to cover this seam, but we’ve